Essay #1
Sep 14th, 2009 by Mary Louise Penaz
Essay #1: Close reading of Silent Spring text to find meaning: How would Rachel Carson answer this question?
What is a “close reading”?
This kind of assignment, so often used in university courses, involves looking at several texts. In a close reading, you as the writer seek out patterns within the work itself, and suggest why those patterns are significant ones. In addition, you might show how these patterns are sometimes violated or varied. You are searching for some meaning. Your job is to show how your interpretation, your explanation of the work’s meaning and author’s words, can be supported by details of the text itself. You are not simply recapitulating what the author said, but instead creating a meaning or an interpretation that you, having taken great care analyzing the work, have arrived at and need to convince your readers of based on evidence from the text. A compelling thesis is absolutely necessary to support, and you must use at least three direct quotes from Silent Spring.
Format: In fairness to everyone, essays must be formatted in the exact same way. Refer to the formatting procedures for “First page of MLA paper” in The Little, Brown Handbook. If you do not format properly, your essay will be handed back to you and considered late until it has been correctly formatted. Essays should be 2 ½ pages minimum, double-spaced, 12 Roman font, paginated, and stapled.
Quality: Your essay should contain a compelling, college-level thesis and several well-developed and college-level paragraphs that support that thesis and reflect the description above for close reading. Paragraphs must be shaped and conform to the MLA version of a college-level paragraph. You must use college-level concepts in essay.
Theme: Choose one of the Ten Philosophical Problems of Man (1-10). Based on the reading of Silent Spring, evaluate how Rachel Carson would answer this particular question. How would you justify her opinion using the text to support your conclusions? (You must use the text/her words to support your argument.) How would you prioritize the facts as she states them? Based on Rachel Carson’s argument, how would you explain the answer?
- Use at least three pertinent quotes from Silent Spring to support your answer.
- Check the syllabus for Peer Review Workshop and Due Dates.
- Proofread your essay for errors.
- Paragraph development is crutial. Pay attention to how you are building an argument to support your thesis.
- The most important goal of this class is to learn how to write well and to articulate our thoughts using a critical mode.
Note: On due day, the final copy of your essay must contain 1. a Works Cited page and 2. the rough draft copy with my comments attached to the back page, in order to recieve a grade.
Best of Luck! Come see me during office hours, or make an appointment to see me, so we can discuss your work-in-progress rough draft for this assignment.